


How it all ended...

by 00Wandering_Ghost00



Series: WG Originals [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Bitter, Disappointment, Fading Fame, Gen, Idol-Fan Connection, Original Fiction, Sad, They don't sparkle ffs, Vampire Rockstars, Vampires, music industry, no twilight, questions and answers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 07:05:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14744202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/00Wandering_Ghost00/pseuds/00Wandering_Ghost00
Summary: A former fan of the gothic-rock band Masquerade led by a real vampire, finds his long lost idol in a run-down pub playing covers of old songs, and decides to ask a few questions. No blood-drinking involved.This is an excerpt of my vampire novel "Crimson Symphony", namely the conclusion of it in one of its protagonists, Derek the vampire's point of view. (Note: Story is not written in his POV, he's just the focus of it.) Sorry for the occasional Twilight fan, but these guys don't sparkle.





	How it all ended...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, dearest readers of mine, and the occasional guest that wandered here! I have been offline for a few days, and will continue to be, for IRL issues I have to take care of, but until I can return with updates on my fanfiction, here's a little glimpse of one of my oldest, and maybe longest original works. Trigger warnings include: coarse language, mentions of mental illness, smoking, old music, and long text. Proceed at your own risk!

The Rusty Nail was almost empty that Monday night. It was a run-down club for the unruly and loud, the small percent of people that weren't fans of some more fashionable electronic music. Tonight, a lone man with an acoustic guitar sat on a stool behind the microphone, singing a song nobody listened to anymore, because it was made way back in the sixties or so.

  
_"...They hurt you at home and they hit you at school_

_They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool_

_'Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules..."_

_  
_ One of the few listeners, Miles - or rather Nighteyes, for that was his "goth name" - was a huge fan of the now disbanded and forgotten "Masquerade" back in his teens, especially of their real, flesh and blood vampire frontman. He recognized that voice from a million. As he approached the stage, his heart skipped a beat. The short, pale man in black was no other than his idol he thought to be lost. Derek carried on with the cover song, his voice tainted with a hint more of the bitterness that the original would need. Some people booed, some others just stayed silent as "Working Class Hero" came to an end, and Derek left the stage without anyone noticing. Anyone but Nighteyes. He went after the vampire, who - surprisingly - only left the club to stand in the alley where the staff entrance was, and light a cigarette. The streetlight reflected from his eyes he kept on staring at the wall with. Nighteyes went out and stopped next to Derek, who exhaled a small cloud of smoke, and asked "What can I do for you?" on tired voice that carried its bitterness from the song. "Um... I don't want to be weird or something, but I'm a fan... Of you, your music and all." the young man explained. The vampire didn't as much as glance at him. "That's cool." he inserted while smoking his pick of death. "Can I ask you a question?" Nighteyes dared to utter after a short pause. "If you insist." Derek answered. "What are you doing here?" the human asked, not really knowing what kind of answer he is expecting. Derek finally turned his head towards him, a curious mix of intrigue and threat gleaming in his unusually bright green eyes. "Why do you want to know?" He returned the question. "I just want to know." Nighteyes answered. "You were a big influence on me, my views of the world, and then suddenly you disappeared." Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. "I have my reasons for keeping a low profile." he commented. "But hey, this is your lucky night, because I feel like chatting with someone." he lighted another cigarette, and leaned back to the brick wall. "I've been to hell and back, and had no time or will to stand back in the limelight." Derek began his tale, while Nighteyes leaned to the wall next to him. "My closest friends died, and I could do nothing to prevent it or to help them. The new connections I made, suddenly lost all meaning. It went like that with music too." he looked down, beating the ash off from the ember, watching it being carried away by the barely noticeable breeze. "The industry is not the same it was when I started my career, yet there are things that never change. Long story short: I'm no longer trending, so nobody wants to have anything to do with me or my work anymore. It's 2018 kid, rock is dead." Nighteyes stared at the short vampire, and started to question why did he even bother to follow him and talk. The person standing next to him was nothing like the one he remembered from the various videos he saw about him, or the posts he made on social media. He felt disappointed, but at least he got his answers. Something yet bothered him, so he asked. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" Derek made a mirthless chuckle. "What, that I have hunters at my tail and all that crap? Barely anyone noticed that I left Masquerade to rot with all the new members and my former lover. And what difference would it make? People mostly thought that I'm just a joke. A guy that claims to be something he's not. And by that I don't mean a vampire, but a musician." He dropped the remains of his share of air pollution into a puddle. "At least some of my friends had happy ends." he added. "I don't know how long it will last, but my guess is that I won't be around to see anyway." Nighteyes blinked, and shook his head. "Why do you say that? Are you suicidal or something?" Derek laughed, but his laughter sounded desperate if anything, instead of joyous. "Kid, I wish I had any other choice. I wish if I could grow old, or get fat or somehow twist my features until no one recognizes me anymore. I'm sick and tired of everything. I want to leave, but I can't. No matter where I go, I'm known among my own kin, and still known among a small percent of yours." Nighteyes - who suddenly found himself reverting back to his "dull", ordinary self - felt his heart sink. He never thought a creature like Derek could suffer from depression or any kind of illness that plagued humanity, but the vampire speaking to him sounded like one of the girls from his clique that committed suicide when she was barely over 20. "Hey, maybe things aren't that bad you know... Also, if you hate playing music, why do you do it? You could just live your life somewhere and wait until everyone forgets you." he tried to lift the mood, but Derek wasn't having it. "Playing music is the only thing I know." he stated. "And it's like an abusive relationship. I hate it, yet can't get out of it, and feel guilty for even trying." he took another cigarette from his pocket, but didn't light it. "I even quit smoking for a few years." Derek mused. "I know all this whining is not what you came here for." he concluded his speech, and pushed himself away from the wall. "So sorry if I shattered any preconceived notions you had about me." Miles looked at Derek with clear disappointment. He did just what he said. "Before I go back to perform another cover that - to quote the audience - never be as good as the original, let me give you a friendly advice! For free." Derek put his best fake-smile on, and patted Miles on the shoulder. "Never idolise people too much. Or if you do, don't get to know them. That way you can avoid being severely disappointed by them."  

And with that, he left to go back to the stage. As Miles was also leaving the Rusty Nail, he heard the song Derek was singing as last one for the night.

 _“All alone in a crowded room_  
_He tries to force a smile_  
_The smile it beamed or so it seemed_  
_But never reached the eyes disguise_  
_Masquerading as the funny man do they despise_

 _The false smile maketh of the man_  
_Glass empty or half full_  
_Try to make some sense or sorrows drown_  
_All looks well on the outside_  
_Underneath the solemn truth_  
_There’s something that inside has died_  
_Tomorrow comes tomorrow goes_  
_But the cloud remains the same_  
_Wonder why he’s feeling down_  
_Tears of a clown…”_

Miles was thinking about that night for years to come. He no longer felt the nostalgia about Masquerade and their music he did before talking with Derek. He learned from one of his friends two years later, that Derek went missing. He disappeared from his hotel room, leaving everything behind, including his clothes, papers and even his guitar. Miles, along with everyone in his circle of friends, never heard from him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and if you liked it, please leave some feedback! (Also if you didn't. Tell me why you didn't like it!)  
> \- "Working Class Hero" is a song by John Lennon, "Tears of a Clown" is a song by Iron Maiden.  
> \- Derek entered a trance-like state vampires often refer to as "torpor" in 2020, and only emerged again in the 2060's. If you want to know more about this bitter fellow (who's not like this for the most part of the series, he just became "sick and tired of everything" in the end), I'll be glad to fill you in with details. :) Just ask.  
> Bye!


End file.
